The old Mid-Autumn Festivals

When the August moon is full, and children begin to whisper and ask for money to buy lanterns of all shapes and sizes, adults begin to reminisce about Mid-Autumn Festivals from their memories...

Walking amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, I find myself reminiscing about the Mid-Autumn Festivals of yesteryear in my hometown. It all feels like it was just yesterday... Perhaps the 70s and 80s generations will never forget those simple Mid-Autumn Festivals.

Our lanterns were sometimes just bamboo sticks arranged in the shape of a star... (Image from the internet)

Those were the excitements of making our own beautiful lanterns from natural materials. Sometimes our lanterns were just bamboo sticks arranged in a star shape, covered with colorful handmade paper in shades of blue, red, purple, and yellow; sometimes they were simply broken household items that had been redecorated; sometimes they were intricately cut from newspaper pages... We prepared for months in advance, carefully storing them until the day we could show them off to our friends, then exclaiming in admiration and pride.

The old Mid-Autumn Festivals

A corner of a traditional Mid-Autumn Festival market... (Image from the internet)

There's a memory that brings tears to my eyes. During those years of scarcity, most of us eagerly awaited the Mid-Autumn Festival meal prepared by community organizations for children. It was a bowl of white sticky rice, a few spring rolls, and rich, fatty boiled meat—something we only got to eat on special occasions. So, from early morning on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, we children excitedly prepared our bowls, waiting for the bell to ring so we could run to the village's communal area to receive that wonderful treat. The feeling of eating a spoonful of white rice and biting into a piece of rich, fatty meat... is a memory I'll never forget.

After dinner, the children returned home to prepare for the lantern procession. Under the clear countryside sky, the characters of Cuoi and Hang seemed so close, perhaps just somewhere atop a clump of trees or a bamboo grove. We played traditional folk games like hide-and-seek, catching fireflies to make lanterns, and cat chasing mouse, then sang and danced together, and finally, we enjoyed the feast. I vividly remember the feeling of holding those colorful candies during the feast; it was such a delightful experience. Sometimes we would save them until the crescent moon was still uneaten. Perhaps it was these simple, rustic moments that nurtured my soul, shaping my emotions so that later, when I went to school, worked, or left my hometown, wherever I was, I could easily feel, accept, and embrace the changes of life with calmness and serenity...

The old Mid-Autumn Festivals

In the past, rural children used to set up tables on the porch to watch the moon... (Image from the internet)

The Mid-Autumn Festivals of the past have faded into the realm of memory, interacting with my new experiences. From the hardships and struggles, from the overwhelming surprises and bewilderments, from happiness and suffering, I can easily name the things I have experienced using the special language of poetry.

Whenever new poetic ideas spark in my mind, I am grateful for the memories of my childhood. Especially the radiant light of the full moon in August, the cheerful chatter of my friends in the bamboo groves of my village, and the fragrant aroma of the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner, which was not supplemented with potatoes or cassava back then...

The old Mid-Autumn Festivals

Homemade star-shaped lanterns were always a popular gift from adults to children in the past. (Image from the internet)

This morning, walking through the streets selling Mid-Autumn Festival goods, toys, and cakes, I noticed that many of them had already been transported back to their villages and hamlets. And I'm sure that, even though rural children no longer lack the hardships we had in the past, their excitement remains undiminished. I imagine that tonight, within the bamboo groves of my village, the children will have another memorable Mid-Autumn Festival night. And they will create unforgettable memories in their own unique ways, so that no matter how it's celebrated, or what colors are used, the Mid-Autumn Festival will always be truly radiant in their young hearts...

Nguyen My Hanh

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